Modern automotive engine designs use fuel injectors for controllably injecting a controlled quantity of fuel for each engine cycle into a passage in the cylinder head or manifold runner in the region of each intake valve or valves.
The fuel is supplied via a fuel rail, which in the past comprised a separate tube assembled to the manifold, each injector assembled into a pocket bore in fuel rails and also into an aligned seat in the manifold or cylinder head. Molded intake manifolds constructed of a composite plastic have now been developed, which would allow the fuel rail or rails to be integrated into the manifold as an integrally molded internal passage. This further development would significantly reduce costs by eliminating the fuel rail as a separate part as well as the additional parts and equipment required for installation of the separate fuel rail.
However, assembly of the fuel injectors into an integrated fuel rail and later into separate injector seats would have heretofore been impossible as the integrated fuel rail cannot be shifted axially to allow insertion of the fuel injector tips into the injector seats.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,699 issued on Nov. 14, 1995 for an "Intake Pipe Arrangement for an Internal Combustion Engine Having Individual Arc Shaped Cylinder Intake Pipe" describes a solution to this problem which necessitates a separate intermediate flange, increasing the costs.
The problem is made more difficult when an air assist connection must be made to each injector for supplying air used to assist in fuel atomization.
The object of the present invention is to provide a mounting for fuel injectors to be installed in an integrated manifold fuel rail, which may also have integrated air supply passages which allows completion of the injector installation without the need for a separate fuel rail or auxiliary flange.